Trojans topple Greenville
Published 12:00 am Saturday, January 14, 2006
TROY - Charles Henderson basketball coach Carl Hollis liked the final score.
It was the journey that gave him fits.
The Trojans broke open a close game in the fourth quarter and earned a 54-45 area victory over visiting Greenville on Tuesday night.
The mood in the Henderson locker room wasn't exactly celebratory after the game.
&uot;I'm very grateful for this win,&uot; Hollis said after seeing the Trojans stretch a one-point lead to as many as 12 in the fourth quarter. &uot;But I don't appreciate some of the attitudes on this team - attitudes of unconcern, attitudes of selfishness.&uot;
Some shaky ballhandling down the stretch and poor foul shooting throughout the game soured the coach's outlook.
&uot;Our attitudes are not what they need to be to get us where we need to go,&uot; Hollis said, shaking his head.
Greenville head coach Victor Smith didn't like the view from his seat, either.
&uot;We continue to have problems handling the ball,&uot; the coach said. &uot;We got stagnant on offense. We're still trying to come together. We added some guys recently and we're still learning to play as a team.&uot;
Charles Henderson (5-10) trailed 26-23 at halftime. Justin Green scored 7 of his 13 points in the third quarter to help give the Trojans a 36-33 advantage going into the fourth quarter.
Moses Griffin, who scored a game-high 19 points, had 10 in the fourth quarter to make the difference for the Trojans. He also led everyone with 13 rebounds, five on the offensive glass.
Griffin hit a pair of three-pointers, the second of which gave CHHS a 44-37 lead. He then had the key sequence of the game. Griffin stole an inbounds pass for Demetrius Posey near midcourt, dribbled for the basket and made a thunderous slam dunk. Officials ruled he was intentionally fouled on the play, which gave him two free throws and the Trojans possession of the ball.
Griffin's unusual four-point play gave Henderson a 48-37 lead with 4:43 left in the game. Derrick Russaw made one of two foul shots on the subsequent possession that gave the Trojans their 12-point lead with 4:30 left.
Greenville got no closer than seven points despite just 3 for 9 foul shooting in the final three minutes.
Darrel Carter led Greenville with 12 points. Edward Searight added 9 for the Tigers.
&uot;We did play good defense in the fourth quarter,&uot; Hollis said. &uot;We stopped their penetration in the last five minutes of the game.&uot;
Charles Henderson jumped off to a big early lead and breezed past Greenville 59-30 on Tuesday night in varsity girls basketball.
&uot;They knew a little more what they were seeing,&uot; CHHS coach Dyneshia Jones said after the game.
Four nights earlier, the Trojans struggled to a 35-23 victory in Greenville.
&uot;I think it was an advantage play them back-to-back,&uot; Jones said. &uot;We had just seen them and we went over that game in detail. I also thought we did a
better job handling the basketball tonight.&uot;
Henderson took a 15-5 lead after the first quarter and enjoyed a 30-10 halftime lead.
&uot;They were a little more aggressive tonight,&uot; Greenville coach Ronald Bogan said. &uot;I thought they outhustled us. We missed a lot of opportunities - some
layups and free throws that could have kept us in the game early.
&uot;One thing I did see that will help us was our man defense in the second half. Our kids did a nice job with that.&uot;
Erica Henderson and Valerie Jones led the Trojans as they built their big lead. Henderson scored 11 of her game-high 20 points in the first half.
Jones had 10 at the half and finished with 15 points. Miracle Bankston added 13 for the Trojans.
Katoria McDonald led Greenville with 18 of her team's 30 points.
Henderson led 44-19 going into the fourth quarter.